While we cannot know what healthcare issues may burden us in the future, there are some legal documents that your patients can fill out to ensure they are treated according to their preferences. Such advanced planning also avoids confusion, arguments, and guilt among family members when tough decisions need to be made.
A living will is a document that your patient create to let their family and doctors know :
- Who they want to make health care decisions for them when they cannot make them.
- The kind of medical treatment they want or do not want.
- How comfortable they want to be.
- How they want people to treat them.
- What they want their loved ones to know.
One recommended format is the "Five Wishes," authored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Note, a living will only needs to be witnessed and notarized.
Medical power of attorney
A medical power of attorney (POA) is someone designated by the patient to make medical decisions on their behalf of they are incapacitated. The POA is able to consent to treatment, refuse treatment, or withdraw care. In addition, the POA has access to the patient's chart and any past medical documentation. A patient may limit a POA's powers by documenting their concerns (e.g., code status, desire to have certain procedures). Appointing a medical POA requires legal documentation.
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